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Monday, March 29, 2010

Ok! So I am not the most popular blawger on the block! I love all 3 of you that leave me comments though! THANK YOU! I'd like to thank my editor and my publicist and the academy for all of your support! HEE hee! I'm just goshin'! It is really fun to write out my thoughts and if no one reads then it was a fun outlet for me! Some days it's me and the cat at home so this helps me get my words out... ya know??

Well, how about some randomness for today?

I shopped some today. What did I find? NA-DA! ZILCH! Easter is coming people! You GOTTA put something out there worth wearing to church at Easter!! Either it was UGLY, too big, too small (usually the latter!), OLD lookin' (and I just turned 40.. remember? NONE of this looking old business is allowed!) or UGLY! Oh, I mentioned that. So maybe I will have more luck tomorrow when I go try again at a real mall. I hit all of the bargain places today. Everybody already got all the bargains, I guess.

I recently bought a new birdfeeder and we put it in our front yard. We also have a finch feeder in the back yard. Can I tell you that our crazy cat has hit his fool head about 72 times on the windows thinkin' he's gonna eat him a bird?? Bless his little kitty heart! He is going to kill himself. Crazy cat!

He starts breathin' all heavy and he bangs his little tail on the floor like he just CAN NOT STAND IT ANOTHER MINUTE! HE NEEDS A BIRD! And if a squirrel comes... oh it is all over! He almost has a heart attack!

Next week is spring break and I am really excited! We are going to see my parents for a few days so we can get away from the hustle of school and the everyday house stuff. I wish my hubby could come, but somebody has to work around here! I can't tell girlfriend that we are going just yet! She will ask me a thousand times if today's the day we go to Mimi's! I'm sure she's the only kid that does that, right??

Our neighbor sold their stinkin' house! How do you like that? We get some pretty decent neighbors with a kid for my kid to play with and they up and move!! They do speak Spanish and it has been fun to hear my girl learn a few words. I think she has enjoyed hearing their conversations... though she says, "Mama! I can't understand a word they are sayin'!" I hope somebody that loves Jesus and has 2 kids moves in! THAT would be awesome!!

Well, not only was that random... it was frankly kind of boring. See, that's probably why I have 3 readers.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Well...if the truth be known... I've been writing about decoratin' and decoratin' and decoratin'... BUT at the time the funds are kinda low. You know... I'm po! Not poor... I can't afford the last two letters! I'm plain po.

Sooo... the playroom/bonus room is hanging in the balance while we wait on things to loosen up a bit. The organizing, however, is coming along.... comin' along! I can't wait to move on!

In the mean time I decided that I COULD afford a $4 can of black spray paint! And for years I have really disliked (ok, hated) the bright and shiny, contractor's grade, brassy kitchen light!

I'm pretty sure that every single house in our HUGE neighborhood has one. Unless they have sold them at the bi-yearly neighborhood yard sales we all have this one thing in common... and personally... it just ain't pretty!

Again, I am po and I can not afford to replace said loveliness so I decided to go at it with my $4 can of magic!

Let me know what you think?

Anything was an improvement! Trust me.

In other...and totally unrelated ...news God is really working through the Special Needs Ministry at our church! Not only is God bringing more special needs kids and families, but He's working IN and through our youth as well!

Last weekend we had Disciple Now Weekend where students have a weekend of worship, slumber parties at host homes, eating and more worship. It's really a fun time for everyone involved.

Some of the groups decided to do a service project during their free time on Saturday afternoon. My friend was the leader for 10th grade girls and she brought them to our Special Needs class to help me prepare for Sunday morning.

They cut out baskets for a spring bulletin board...

assembled the board...

and helped prepare crafts for the next morning!

I was so happy to have their help and I got to share about our ministry with girls that are really thinking about what they want to pursue in life. You never know how their service might have impacted them and THEY will never know what their willing hearts mean to the families of students with special needs!

The next morning, during their Sunday school time, they came to see our class, meet our students and then they stood outside our door and PRAYED for us! What an answer to prayer!

It is just amazing how God works through things that you just never dream He might. We opened this class for parents who need a place for their children so that they might be able to participate in being fed through worship and fellowship! I never thought that God might reach these teen girls in some way through this same class. Isn't God amazing!?!?

You know... who cares if that playroom EVER gets painted!? God impresses on me more and more everyday that PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THINGS! It's fun to have something new every once in a while, but when our time and effort are spent serving HIM it really puts things (like paint!) in a new perspective!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Rebecca, over at Knit By God's Hand, posted today about a precious little girl named Emily that is battling Infantile Spasms which is a form of epilepsy. I wanted to further the awareness and add a link so that we all might be more aware of this illness.

My heart just goes out to families who face any type of issue that causes their lives to be more difficult and uncertain. While epilepsy may not be considered a disability it definitely brings fear and uncertainties that must be treated with medication in order to keep it under control.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that causes the person to have seizures. The seizures can be triggered by a varitety of stimuli depending on the area of the brain that is affected. One seizure type can be triggered just by reading!

Friday is Epilepsy Awareness day! If you know someone who struggles with this disorder why not wear your PURPLE in their honor and give them a call to let them know that you are thinking of them? Everyone needs support every now and then! Perhaps you could be the hands and feet of Christ in ministering to that person in a way that you never thought possible!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

She's seven years old. She's tiny. She attends school with my daughter. She's needing help with her reading and so I go to her school to read with her and a few others.

We sit down to read a book together. As I point to the title she says...

Her- Hey, do you do your daughter's hair... everyday?

Me- Yes, sweetie. Why?

Pause... eyes looking at the floor and then to my hair.

Her- That's cool. My dad does mine. My mom doesn't live there.

Me- Well, your dad does a great job because every time I've seen you I've thought you were beautiful.

Little grin.

Her- I see my mom on weekends. Sometimes. Sometimes she's too busy.

Me- Well, that's great that you get to see her. She lives here? Near by?

Her- Yeah. I live with my dad and my aunt and my uncle and my cousins. We are going to move though. You won't see me. I will be at another school.

Me- WHAT? How will I read with you? I will miss you so much.

Her- I know. You know my dad can wash my hair and he can fix it. Not like mom, but he can do it.

Me- Do you miss your mom?

Her- Sometimes. I have sisters. We all have different dads. My oldest sister's dad died. Then my mom had another girl. Then she had me. We don't all live together.

Me- That's cool that you have sisters. I have always wanted a sister.

Her- I guess. My mom lives with my stepdad now. I don't like him.

Me- I'm sorry honey. I am sure it's hard.

Her- No. I just live with my dad. That's all.

And I am suppose to help her read a book about a cat that has a hat that's too big!? Like she cares about that! Like she wants to read at all! Her little heart is longing for someone to love her. A mom to love her.

Oh LORD! What have we done as a nation to YOUR children? They are too grown up too fast because of our reckless lives! They hurt at such a young age. They long for relationships to be consistent and loving and a reflection of Your love! HOW CAN WE NOT SEE?? We are so selfish. We are so self consumed! We miss the fact that these little eyes are watching our every move and they are being crushed by the pressure. Please, Lord! Love this little one through me. Help her to see that YOU are THE constant source of love for all of us. Forgive us Lord! Please! We are so blind God! Wake us up and help us to see Your plan for our lives! Protect our children, Lord. Forgive us God!

I will never forget her face... her voice.. her eyes. A child that's hurting because of a broken family and a mom that is too busy. She has made a new impression on my heart that I hope never goes away.

Monday, March 22, 2010

I must admit that with spring comes spring cleaning and with spring cleaning comes the bug to redecorate the Guinn Inn! I have recently written posts about getting my house in order and it's still a work in progress.

This weekend I bought these cutie little jars to put ribbon, pom pom balls, wiggly eyes and more ribbon in so that my sewing/craft area would be super organized! They have a little edge that allows you to store them on their sides so that you see the shiny lid and you can label your items. They were around $1.50 each each and they come in three sizes. All in a row... super cute! Oh! And I got them at the greatest store EVER! Hobby Lobby!

So have you been to the Hobs Lob lately? Have you seen how many adorable ways that you can have a monogram letter adorning your every ROOM!?!? Oh. MY. WORD.

This one's in my office and it's not a great shot, but I HEART IT! AND it has a ribbon! Oh bless it!

Girl, you can do so many letters around your house that you will just smile when you enter every room!

You can do wooden letters...

And you can do metal letters... that are kind of big but they are awesome!

You can do paper weight letters that sit on your desk...

And adorable hanging letters...

Oh my word... how much do I love them all? This one is a tile!

Wonder which one I will buy next!??!

I also had this filthy, big, white trash can that was really gross and I decided that we could do better than THAT with even the trash can. So ... I need CHEAP! I mean C-H-E-A-P so I decided to head to IKEA to see what they had. How about a cute galvanized pail with a wooden handle for $7?? Yeah, no picture to show you, but trust me! IT'S FAR CUTER THAN THE FILTHY ONE!

Another project that I believe may be in my near future is redoing my daughter's room. My friend, Faith, and I painted it several years ago with pink, purple and blue stripes. It's very cute, but she's not 3 anymore so I am ready to give her a little update! I found this picture on the internet that may be my inspiration piece!

She has a white iron bed so I was thinking of painting her room a fresh and pretty green color and then adding white (with maybe some pink gingham!) to make it girly! I love how pretty the white and green are together so we shall see!

Oh, I could go on and on with ideas that I have packed inside my 40 year old brain! Unfortunately all of it costs money and it has to be done in stages. AND it can't be done with things being unorganized soo... ON WITH THE CLEANING!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

There is a story in the Bible about Jesus healing ten lepers. The men are so overwhelmed with joy over their healing that they run to the town (because they had been exiled) to see their family and friends and to show them what miracle has taken place in their lives. As the men ran away one of them (I'm sure, with tears streaming down his cheeks!) turns back to Jesus and says, "Thank you!"

That story made a big impression on me a few years back. I know what it means to me when someone says "Thanks"! I can only imagine what it means to our Lord when He works on our behalf DAILY and we never seem to take the time to thank Him. I am always eager to pray and ask Him for things (over and over again!) but how often do I turn back to thank Him when things go well? OR when the answer is "no" and all I prayed for was an answer! (THAT one is hard!)

I had asked, in my last post, that you join with me in praying for the decision about our girl's vision therapy needs and the possibility of her starting OT again. We were not sure if the doctor would agree to it, but had no idea how we would continue to pay. WELL! God answered!! Her eyes are improving slowly but the doctor felt that it was enough to where she could switch to VT one time a week!!!! He does believe that OT would be necessary so that she does not regress and we are SOOO excited that the OT agreed to take us back!!!!!!!

Last night I went to church and was just so overwhelmed. I am tired. This has been the longest road in trying to determine what is best for her. We are changing meds (AGAIN!). We are trying to figure out how she fits into school and what will work best for her. We have been so worried about our inability to pay for her therapy needs. It has just been A LOT!

Thing is... it's ME wearing ME out! God has her in His hands and He has from the moment she was conceived. Why in the world I let my heart and mind be consumed with all of it I will never know!

So here's my chance to return to the feet of Jesus and say THANK YOU!!!!!! Lord! Thank you so much for knowing our situation before it ever was a situation! Thank you for answering and for helping our family stay out of debt. YOU paid our eternal debt so long ago and we need to trust you more with our everyday issues. Please know that we are eternally grateful for You in the everyday. You provide in more ways than we ever see and we thank you! Thank you for helping our girl to grow and for the maturity that we are seeing. Your timing is not ours and Your ways are not our ways. Help us to praise You even in the waiting! Thank you for answered prayer and please guide us as we continue to walk this road. We love you, Jesus! Amen!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Sometimes it's REALLY easy to distinguish between a real, true "NEED" and things that we just want.

I NEED chocolate! Ok, no. I want chocolate.

I NEED new clothes. Well, sometimes I do, but on a regular basis? Probably not.

I NEED an I-phone? Actually, no, but it sure would be nice!

And then there are times when your NEED and your WANT are the same, but you just aren't sure how you are going to make that work. That's where we ar right now with our daughter and her NEED for Vision Therapy.

She has attended Vision Therapy, twice a week, to address these issues for 6 months now and we WANT this kid's eyes to be healthy, receive information like they should and help her process information. WE WANT THAT! Oh, how we want that for her!

The problem is that our insurance does not cover vision therapy and my husband took a pay cut. Those things rolled together do not equal enough funds for us to continue with this therapy that she NEEDS and that we WANT!

We have been praying about it and we know that it's not God's will for us to have debt. We have also felt that God has put people into our lives that know TONS more about these things (vision needs, etc.) than we do and they can help her!!! Needless to say this has been just a gut wrenching decision.

One thing about VT is they mix in some occupational therapy to help her work on her balance, coordination, etc. We are hoping that our OT (who DOES accept our insurance!) will have an opening and we may be able to cut back on VT to once a week and then OT once a week.

Could you pray for us? We are just really needing wisdom and discernment and direction and clarity! We know that God is not a God of confusion and we are claiming that He knows the plans He has for her (Jer. 29:11) so we are just hoping to see that plan clearly!

If you leave a comment, would you please let me pray for you as well? I'd be honored to lift you to the feet of the Father and help you leave your burden there! Let me know how I can pray.

Monday, March 8, 2010

I needed a little encouragement today! When I woke up my heart was so heavy and my mind was going in a hundred different crazy directions! God's word is such a CURE for the weary and heavy burdened, isn't it??

SO! If you are like me... here ya go!

"I am He. I am he who will sustain you. For I have made you and I will carry you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you."Isaiah 46:4 NIV

Sunday, March 7, 2010

The day after my birthday is my only niece's birthday. Her name is Taylor and her mom and dad decided to have our family and a few neighbors over to celebrate. My brother-in-law and his wife were a little older when they had her, and she's their only one so you can imagine... it was a BIG TA-DO!

Here she is! The stinker of the hour with her precious little "I'm ONE!" shirt and her adorable tu-tu and her amazing hair bow!

Here are her gifts on the buffet in the dining room.. complete with tulle and ribbons! There was also tulle in the doorway when you came in and pink balloons... of course!

Here's her cutie pie little cake...

She had a great time with that!!

It was really fun to watch her open gifts with her tu-tu in tow...

We had a fun day celebrating together! I love that we share something special and we will be able to celebrate for years to come!

Oh, and by the way... my sweet hubby and friends that I sing with gave me a little surprise party! It was the sweetest thing and I had NO IDEA!

Here are my CAKES! (Yep, two of them!)

Isn't that adorable??? LOVED IT!!!!!

I was so busy hugging folks and being red as a beet that I only have about 5 pictures and they are ALL of the cake table! Hello!!

I just realized. This is my 3rd blog entry that has included info. about my turning 40. I'll shut up now! :)

About Me

I am honored to be the wife of the sweetest man on earth and mom to one spunky little mess of a girlfriend! I enjoy Bible study that challenges me, decorating that stretches me to be creative and frugal, and friendships that push me closer to the feet of Jesus. I like jeans that fit and laughing 'til I cry. I like to dance, be silly and cookies. I have a heart for those with special needs and believe that the Lord uses them to teach me how to be more like Him. I love to sing and be spontaneous. I'm just me! Welcome to my blog!!